Kepada kaum Bajau Semporna, 'Lepa' (sejenis bot) banyak kegunaannya dalam kehidupan harian. Bot ini digunakan untuk menangkap ikan dan kenderaan harian. Ia juga digunakan sewaktu upacara perkahwinan dan persembahan kebudayaan. Kehidupan unik berteraskan lepa ini dipusakai turun-temurun hingga kini.
Daerah Semporna, Sabah menyambut Perayaan Regatta Lepa setiap tahun pada bulan April. Lepa merupakan suatu perkara yang penting dalam kehidupan kaum Bajau sejak zaman dahulu. Perayaan Regatta Lepa merupakan tapak untuk memperkenalkan dan mempromosi seni, budaya dan adat kaum Bajau yang berwarna-warni. Setiap tahun pengunjung akan berpeluang melihat sendiri keunikan pembuatan bot Lepa yang cantik disulami dengan tarian dan muzik yang dimainkan di atas bot lepa.
Regatta Lepa merupakan acara tahunan untuk semua peminat, pengusaha dan penggiat seni-budaya Bajau dan Lepa berkumpul. Melalui perayaan ini, kaum Bajau yang berada di merata tempat termasuk di pulau-pulau akan bertemu, bersosial dan bertanding. Pertandingan utama adalah merebut gelaran 'Lepa Tercantik'.
Perayaan ini memakan masa 2 hingga 3 hari. Bayangkan di tepi pantai terdapat ratusan Lepa yang dihias cantik dengan segala macam renda, payung, sambulayang berwarna-warni, pakaian tradisi, persembahan kebudayaan dan pertandingan acara laut. Semua lepa-lepa ini akan beratur sambil bergerak perlahan dihadapan pentas yang disediakan untuk para hakim dan orang kenamaan untuk menilai dan memilih pemenang. Pemenang akan dipilih berdasarkan kecantikan Lepa dan tarian yang dipersembahkan.
Aktiviti sambutan Regatta Lepa dibahagikan kepada 2 kawasan utama iaitu 'Acara Laut' di tepi pantai dan 'Pentas Budaya' dan pameran di Padang Pekan Semporna. Pada sebelah malamnya pula, pengunjung berpeluang untuk menyaksikan persembahan kebudayaan tempatan sambil diselang-selikan dengan nyanyian artis tempatan dan nasional. Pertunjukan bunga-api turut mewarnai langit Semporna pada malam tersebut.
LEPA: Dalam bahasa kaum Bajau Pantai Timur Sabah bermaksud 'bot'. Ia dipercayai berasal dari kamuniti nelayan yang menetap di Pulau Bum-Bum Semporna pada satu ketika dahulu.
Regatta Lepa: Merupakan perayaan tahunan Daerah Semporna sejak tahun 1994. Regatta Lepa mula diperkenalkan pada tahun 1994 sebagai perayaan peringkat daerah dan kemudiannya diiktiraf menjadi perayaan peringkat negeri Sabah. Pada tahun 2003 Regatta Lepa telah dimasukkan ke dalam kalendar 'Pesta Air Malaysia' dan kini Regatta Lepa merupakan salah-satu acara tahunan Malaysia.
Daerah sunyi Semporna akan bergemerlapan dan berpesta apabila menyambut Regatta Lepa. Di sepanjang jalan 'Sambulayang' akan menghiasi pandangan disamping pemidang dan iklan yang berwarna-warni. Bot-bot Lepa akan berlabuh disepanjang pantai Semporna dan menghiburkan pengunjung dengan pelbagai tarian, nyanyian dan muzik. Setiap bot lepa akan dihiasi dengan 'sambulayang'. 'panji-panji', tipas-tipas' dan renda. Perayaan ini mengundang ribuan pengunjung dari dalam dan luar negeri saban tahun.
Acara-acara lain disepanjang perayaan ini termasuklah acara 'lumba kelle-kelle', tarik-tali lepa, lumba renang dan menangkap itik. Pada sebelah malamnya pula, pertunjukan 'pentas budaya' akan diadakan di Padang Pekan Semporna. Datanglah dan saksikan sendiri perayaan hebat ini!
For the Bajau people, Lepa Boats are multi utility. The boat serves as a fishing vessel and as a means of transportation. It is also utilized for wedding venues and cultural performances. The unique lifestyle and festival is a cultural legacy inherited by many generations.
Semporna celebrates the annual Water Festival of Regatta Lepa in April. LEPA boat has been a significant part of the Sabah Bajau fishermen since immemorial time. The Regatta Lepa is an occasion to show-off all the beautifully built Lepas. The annual event's highlight is a competition to choose the most dazzling lepa. Colorful adorned lepas grace the waterfront, decked with the smiling faces of dancers and musicians.
Regatta Lepa is an annual gathering of the most skillful fishing boat builders in Sabah. The Bajau in Semporna have their yearly festival for remembering their old heritage. In this festival the Bajaus from different village and different island will meet. And during the festive meeting they select the best lepa boat of the year.
During the 2 to 3 days. the Bajau's show their lepa's with the different style's and color. In each lepa is a group of musicians and a couple dancer. The flotilla of colorful banners ridden lepas will make a round in front of the VIP's and the judge's stage. The judges will give a point for their performance related to beautiful lepa's and the best dancer's.
The activities of Regatta Lepa-lepa celebration were in two areas; the traditional event showcasing the beautiful lepa-lepa boats around the water front and exhibitions events at the town padang, where mini-village comprising of traditional huts were on display. At night, visitors will be entertained by both local and national singers, dancers and musicians.
LEPA : In Sabah East Coast Bajau community dialect, lepa means "boat". The lepa boat is a cultural legacy inherited by Bajau people from many generations ago. The existence of lepa is believed to originate from the fishing community who live in Bum Bum Island and used by the native people along the coast of Semporna.
Regatta Lepa : The Regatta Lepa has been celebrated every year since 1994 to commemorate the Bajau tradition of building these splendid boats.
The lepa regatta was first held in 1994 as a district-level event before being upgraded into a state festival. Since 2003, Regatta LEPA became a national event in the Malaysia water festival.
This sleepy town comes to life as the colorful sails take to the sea to compete for the prize of the most beautiful lepa. This is judged based on its decoration, local ethnic music and dances performed on board, sambulayang (sails) and tipas-tipas (small flags).
The Bajau seafarers' proud maritime heritage came alive recently in this annual festival of Regatta LEPA, featuring their boats, the LEPA with participants dancing at the helm of their boats, decorated in full color. The event attracted thousands each year.
Highlight of LEPA : The highlight of LEPA event is to choose the most dazzling Lepa from the beautifully, colorfully adorned boats which are lined up at the waterfront. On the decks are smiling dancers and musicians dressed in equally colorful traditional attires.
Other attractions in Regatta LEPA : include sea sports such as rowboat, sailing and kelleh-kelleh (small dugout boat) competitions, lepa tug of war, and duck catching competition. Colorful cultural night performance.
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